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"Social Network Sites"
Abstract Co-authored by Danah Boyd and Nicole Ellison, “Social Network Sites” takes a look at the definition and history of social network sites (SNS) through an academic lens with the goal of featuring some of the interdisciplinary studies surrounding these sites. Key Concepts Definition: As suggested by Boyd and Ellison, the meaning of Social Network Sites is captured in the following passage: “We define social network sites as web based services that allow individuals to (1) construct a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system, (2) articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection, and (3) view and traverse their list of connections and those made by others within the system.” In essence, in order to be considered a social network site, an SNS must include the following: profiles, “Friends”, a commenting system, and private messaging. The first requirement of SNSs, profiles, are unique pages generated using answers from a series of questions which one is prompted to answer after joining a SNS. The next requirement, “Friends”, is a label for the relationship one has when they are in a shared social network. While the term differs depending on the site, it can either be bi-directional (“Friends” or “Contacts”) or one directional (“Fans” or “Followers”). Lastly, the final requirement is some mechanism that allows users the ability to leave messages either publicly (commenting) or privately. Beyond what is required for a site to be considered an SNS, there is a wide variety in features and user base. History: The first site to combine all the features of a SNS was SixDegrees.com, which launched in 1997. Promoting itself as a resource people can use to connect and message others; SixDegrees.com attracted millions of users, but failed to become sustainable, closing its service in 2000. The founder of the site attributed the failure to the fact that it was ahead of its time, because even though many were starting to use the Internet, most did not have large enough network of friends who were online yet. The next most notable SNS, launching in 2002, was Friendster which was developed to help friends of friends meet with the assumption that its users would rather find romantic partners through friends of friends rather than strangers. As Friendster was initially gaining its popularity, the first three groups of early adopters that helped shape the site were bloggers, attendees of the Burning Man arts festival, and gay men. Before there was traditional press coverage on the site, its user-base was able to grow to 300,000 from word of mouth alone. Despite the growing popularity of the site, Friendster experienced both technical and social issues which attributed to its fall. The technical difficulties included the fact that the servers and databases were not equipped to handle the amount of users using the site leading to it faltering regularly. In addition to the technical issues, Friendster failed socially after the development of “Fakesters”. Fakesters were fake profiles created with the goal of massively collected “Friends” which were encouraged through the site’s “Most Popular” feature. When the site started to actively delete profiles that were considered Fakesters, it signaled to the users that the company did not share the same interests leading to a fall out. However, from 2003 onward, there was an increase in the amount of new SNSs being launched. The most popular of which was MySpace, launched in 2003, whose founders had the goal of attracting users that no longer wished to use Friendster. Consisting of three different groups—musicians/artists, teenagers, and the post college urban social crowd—MySpace regularly updated and added features based on user demand (what Friendster failed to do). As teenagers began joining MySpace in 2004, the site opted to update its policy in order to allow minors instead of rejecting underage users. While there are SNSs which were open to everyone, others were launched to support a particular demographic before inviting more users. Facebook initially began in early 2004 as a Harvard only SNS. As Facebook supported other college networks, its users were able to view the site as an intimate, private community. Eventually beginning in September 2005, Facebook expanded to support other social networks starting with high school students, professionals inside corporate networks, then eventually everyone. Due to the growth of SNS, corporations have been prompted to invest time and money into these types of sites for promotion and advertising. Scholarship: As studies are emerging on the topic of SNSs, the bulk of the research has focused on impression management and friendship performance, networks and network structure, online/offline connections, and privacy concerns. Through impression management and friendship performance, research has been able to look at how much users’ profiles are authentic or playful across sites and how both the social aspect and technological features of the sites affect what a user decides to portray. Additionally, the visible list of “Friends” acts as another indicator of how users manage the identity of their profile. Through examining the various networks and network structure of a SNS, research has been able to look at the roles users play in the growth of SNS—described as passive members, inviters, and linkers “who fully participate in the social evolution of the network”—while analyzing user motivation in joining particular communities and accepting or denying certain “Friends”. Through the online/offline dynamic of social networks, research has found that most use SNS in order to maintain offline connections and support sociability in a manner similar to unmediated public spaces. Through privacy issues studied on SNS, there has found to be a disassociation between one’s desire to protect their privacy and their behaviors. However, Pew research data suggests that teens are aware of potential privacy threats online and therefore take steps to minimize those risks. Privacy settings also play a part in how a user manages the impression they are able to show to others based on what they allow to be revealed and what they do not. While there are still studies being published on SNSs, participation on these sites offers researchers the unprecedented opportunity to view the online traces that are left on social network sites, being able to blend both online and offline behaviors. Further Readings “Social network(ing) sites…revisiting the story so far: A response to danah boyd & Nicole Ellison” By: Dr. David Beer * Taking another look at the article “Social Network Sites,” author Beer opens up a conversation in the direction studies of SNS are heading. Beer revisits the definition of, theories associated with, and future studies of SNS. “What’s Different About Social Media Networks? A Framework and Research Agenda” By: Gerald C Kane, Maryam Alavi, Gieseppe Labianca, Stephen Borgatti * Outlining key differences between offline and online social networks, “What’s Different About Social Media Networks” examines various theoretical issues raised by social network sites. “Social Networks, Personalized Advertising, and Privacy Controls” By: Catherine E Tucker * “Social Networks, Personalized Advertising, and Privacy Controls” examines more in depth users’ decisions on privacy choices in addition to how corporations use SNS to advertise. “Why Youth Heart Social Network Sites: The Role of Networked Publics in Teenage Social Life” By: Danah Boyd * Another article written by Danah Boyd, “Why Youth Heart Social Network Sites” takes a look into teenager participation in SNS and the reasoning in which they do so. “The Benefits of Facebook 'Friends:' Social Capital and College Students’ Use of Online Social Network Sites” By: Nicole Ellison, Charles Steinfield, and Cliff Lampe * Co-authored by Nicole Ellison, “The Benefits of Facebook Friends” examines the relation between Facebook and one’s social well-being. Keywords * Media * Social Media * Blog * Wiki * Ethnography Citations Boyd, Danah M., and Nicole B. Ellison. "Social Network Sites: Definition, History, And Scholarship." Journal Of Computer-Mediated Communication 13.1 (2007): 210-230. Communication & Mass Media Complete. Web. 15 Dec. 2014.